nots on the state of virginia

Notes on the state of Virginia written by Thomas Jefferson shows his opposition to slavery. This is an interesting point because Thomas Jefferson a slave owner and the writer of the declaration of independence that talks about our unalienable rights to freedom but yet limits it to blacks. Some reason for this difference in views is that Thomas Jefferson was the only one writing notes on the state of Virginia but the declaration of independence had to fulfill the wants of many people and for the South slavery was important to the economy and it was the compromise that people against slavery had to make in order to form the United States. Although it is somewhat hypocritical for man who owned slaves to be opposed to slaves the time period was very different in the view of slavery was different and in some ways the definition of it was also different.